Westminster

Westminster's population expanded in the decade to 2011. At the same time there were changes in religion and housing tenure.

The population passed 200,000

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Westminster increased by 21%, from just over 181,000 to 219,000.

The addition of about 38,000 people means this area's population was the fifth fastest-growing across England.

In 2011, Westminster was home to, on average, 73 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Average age stable in Westminster

Latest census data also show that the median age of Westminster remained 34 years in the decade to 2011.

This cosmopolitan area had a higher average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 10,000 people between the ages of 30 and 39 years.

About 22% of people in Westminster are aged between 30 and 39 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Westminster by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More worked long hours

Westminster saw England's third-largest rise in the proportion of people working long hours.

During this period, Westminster overtook South Holland and Eden to become the English local authority area with the fourth-highest percentage of long hours workers.

In 2011, just over one in five (22%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Westminster said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 20% in 2001. The percentage that worked less than 16 hours in a week increased from 1.9% to 2.9%.

England's largest increase in the proportion of people working long hours occurred in City of London (from 24% to 27%) followed by Richmondshire (from 20% to 23%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to City of London should be made with caution.

Long hour working was higher than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

The percentage of married people increased

Westminster saw England's third-largest rise in the proportion of married people.

In 2011, just over one in three (33%) people aged 16 and over in Westminster said they were married, compared with 32% in 2001. The percentage that said they were single remained close to 51%.

England's largest increase in the proportion of married people occurred in City of London (from 31% to 35%) followed by Kensington and Chelsea (from 33% to 36%).

The proportion of married people was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were married across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in rate of self-employment

The rate of self-employment increased in Westminster, but at a slower rate than all other London boroughs, except Bexley and Hillingdon.

Every local authority area across London saw a rise in the proportion of self-employed people, as the regional average grew from 9.0% to 12%.

The rate of self-employment was higher than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were self-employed across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Disability in Westminster

The percentage of Westminster residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 2.0% to 2.7% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 4.9%, while the percentage of Westminster residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 93%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 2.7% in 2001 to 3.1% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Westminster

The number of people in Westminster that described themselves as Muslim increased from just over 21,000 in 2001 to just over 40,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 12% to 18% of those who chose to disclose information about their religious beliefs.

The percentage increased by more than the average across London (from 8.5% to 12%) and the average across England (from 3.2% to 5.2%).

The number of people in Westminster that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 100,000 in 2001 to about 98,000 in 2011 (from 55% to 45%). The number of people who described themselves as having no religion increased from about 29,000 to about 45,000 (from 16% to 20%).

Just under 21,000 people (8.8%) did not state their religion, up from about 16,000 in 2001 (9.4%).

The population who identified as Muslim in Westminster increased by 6.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Westminster by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Housing in Westminster

The percentage of households that owned their home fell in Westminster, but at a slower rate than in Kensington and Chelsea (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Westminster).

In Westminster, the proportion of home ownership decreased from 35% in 2001 to 31% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Kensington and Chelsea decreased from 43% to 36%.

Across London, the share of households that owned their home decreased from 56% to 48%.

Private renting in Westminster increased from 32% to 40%, while the rate of social housing decreased from 29% to 26%.

The rate of home ownership was lower than across London

Percentage of households that owned their home across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Westminster residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 8.6% to 5.8% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (84%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 72% in 2001. The percentage of Westminster residents that described their health as fair decreased from 19% to 10%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Westminster decreased by 2.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Westminster, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More single parents

The percentage of single-parent households increased in Westminster, while falling in City of London (one of the most statistically similar areas to Westminster based on ONS area classifications).

In Westminster, the proportion went up from 7.6% in 2001 to 9.0% in 2011, while across England it fell from 5.1% to 3.5%. During the same period, the regional proportion increased from 11% to 13%.

The percentage of households with a married couple in Westminster increased from 19% to 21%, while the percentage of households with a cohabiting couple increased from 7.7% to 8.0%.

The percentage of households with a single-parent was lower than across London

Percentage of households that had a single parent across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Westminster with only adult children living with their parents increased from 5.4% to 5.8% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just under one in five (19%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 17% in 2001. The percentage of households in Westminster without children decreased from 78% to 75%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.7% in 2001 to 9.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was lower than across London

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Westminster residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.2% to 1.6% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 0.8%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 1.7% in 2001 to 1.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Westminster remained close to 1.6%

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Westminster by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Westminster

The number of people in Westminster from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from about 13,000 in 2001 to about 16,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 7.4% to 7.5% of the local population.

Across London, the percentage of people from this ethnic group increased from 11% to 13%, while across England the percentage went from 2.4% to 3.6%.

The number of people in Westminster from the White ethnic groups increased from just over 130,000 in 2001 to just under 140,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 73% to 62%. The number of residents from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just over 20,000 to about 32,000 (from 11% to 15%).

Just over 24,000 people (4.1%) said they were from the Other ethnic groups (Arab or any other ethnic group), up from about 7,400 in 2001 (11%).

The population from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups in Westminster remained close to 7.5%

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Westminster by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

↑ Back to the top

Area report data

Related links